Statewide constitutional offices

California’s executive branch beyond the governor includes seven statewide constitutional offices plus the elected Board of Equalization. All eight are on the June 2, 2026 primary ballot — California’s statewide executive offices share a single four-year cycle that aligns with the gubernatorial election, so every position turns over together.

All use the top-two primary, in which every candidate appears on one ballot and the top two finishers advance to November regardless of party — except Superintendent of Public Instruction, which is officially nonpartisan and can be won outright with a majority in June. Three incumbents are seeking re-election (Attorney General Rob Bonta, Secretary of State Shirley Weber & Controller Malia Cohen); the other offices (Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, Superintendent & Board of Equalization District 4) are open seats. Given California’s partisan lean, most candidates are Democrats, with Republican challengers and occasional no-party-preference or third-party entries.

Lieutenant Governor

What the office does: Stands first in line to succeed the governor; the role is otherwise largely ceremonial, presiding over the state Senate with a tie-breaking vote only and sitting on the UC Board of Regents and CSU Board of Trustees.

Why it matters in 2026: It has traditionally been a springboard toward a future run for governor, so the winner becomes an early contender for 2030.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Eleni Kounalakis (D), who is term-limited and now running for Treasurer — this is an open seat with a crowded Democratic field.

• Fiona Ma (D) — State Treasurer since 2019; former Board of Equalization member, San Francisco supervisor & assemblymember, term-limited as Treasurer. Emphasizes housing finance, fiscal stewardship & expanding state investment programs. Endorsed by the California Labor Federation and the State Building & Construction Trades Council, with most state Democratic Party delegate support. Best-known name in the field and has faced past lawsuits and controversies as Treasurer.
• Michael Tubbs (D) — Former Stockton mayor and anti-poverty nonprofit leader; youngest and first Black mayor of Stockton, a Stanford graduate who ran a high-profile guaranteed-income pilot. Emphasizes ending poverty, economic mobility & guaranteed income. Endorsed by SEIU California and the Working Families Party; carries a national progressive profile and strong fundraising.
• Josh Fryday (D) — Member of Gov. Newsom’s cabinet heading the state volunteer office; former Novato mayor and ex-Navy JAG officer. Emphasizes national service and volunteerism, education & climate. Endorsed by the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers; lower statewide name recognition.
• Janelle Kellman (D) — Environmental attorney and former Sausalito city councilmember who founded a climate nonprofit. Emphasizes climate resilience and coastal and environmental policy.
• Gloria Romero (R) — Former state Senate majority leader; a longtime Democrat who re-registered Republican in 2024 and is an education-reform advocate. Endorsed by the California Republican Party.

Race dynamics: A crowded Democratic field (Ma, Tubbs, Fryday, Kellman) splits the vote, which could let Romero, as the likely consolidated Republican option, claim the second runoff slot.

Attorney General

What the office does: California’s top law-enforcement officer and lawyer — defends and enforces state law, runs the Department of Justice & litigates on the state’s behalf, including against federal actions.

Why it matters in 2026: The attorney general is the front line of California’s legal disputes with the Trump administration; Bonta has filed or joined more than 50 suits.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Rob Bonta (D), who is running for re-election — appointed in 2021 and elected in 2022, this is his first re-election and he is not term-limited.

• Rob Bonta (D, incumbent) — Attorney General; former East Bay assemblymember, appointed in 2021 and elected in 2022. Emphasizes litigating against federal overreach, consumer and civil-rights protection & reproductive and immigrant rights. Carries strong fundraising, broad Democratic support & a high national profile.
• Michael Gates (R) — Huntington Beach city attorney; former deputy assistant attorney general in the Trump DOJ Civil Rights Division (2025), with a decade as Huntington Beach city attorney. Emphasizes crime and public safety and opposition to state “sanctuary” policies.
• Marjorie Mikels (Green) — Attorney emphasizing anti-surveillance, anti-war & aggressive environmental policy; a minor candidate.

Race dynamics: The incumbent is heavily favored to lead the primary, with Gates the best-positioned Republican for the second runoff slot.

Secretary of State

What the office does: California’s chief elections officer — administers voter registration and election rules and maintains business filings and the state archives.

Why it matters in 2026: Election administration and integrity remain politically charged, and the office sets the rules for how Californians vote.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Shirley Weber (D), who is running for re-election — appointed in 2021 and elected in 2022.

• Shirley Weber (D, incumbent) — Secretary of State; the first Black secretary of state in California history, a former San Diego assemblymember and SDSU professor with deep San Diego roots. Emphasizes voter access, election security & automatic and expanded registration.
• Don Wagner (R) — Orange County supervisor; former Irvine mayor and assemblymember. Emphasizes “election integrity,” voter ID at the polls & faster ballot counting.
• Others: Gary Blenner and Michael Feinstein (Green) are minor candidates.

Race dynamics: The incumbent is heavily favored, with Wagner the leading Republican for the second runoff slot.

Controller

What the office does: The state’s chief fiscal officer and accountant — pays the state’s bills, audits state spending & reports on government finances. This is distinct from the Treasurer, who manages and invests state money.

Why it matters in 2026: The controller is the watchdog over how California spends its money, which is especially relevant amid budget deficits.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Malia Cohen (D), who is running for re-election — elected in 2022.

• Malia Cohen (D, incumbent) — State Controller since 2023; former Board of Equalization chair and San Francisco supervisor. Emphasizes fiscal “transparency, efficiency and fairness,” audits & pay-data and equity transparency. Carries broad Democratic and labor support, with roughly $1.2M raised.
• Herb Morgan (R) — Investment-firm founder based in San Diego who built an advisory firm later acquired by Cantor Fitzgerald. Emphasizes “exposing fraud” in government spending and fiscal restraint; the leading Republican, with roughly $367K raised.
• Meghann Adams (Peace & Freedom) — Union president and school bus driver; a minor candidate.

Race dynamics: The incumbent is heavily favored to lead the field and win re-election.

Treasurer

What the office does: The state’s banker and investment manager — sells state bonds, manages cash and the investment pool & chairs boards that finance housing, infrastructure and schools. This is distinct from the Controller, who audits and pays.

Why it matters in 2026: The treasurer steers billions in bond financing, which is increasingly important for housing and climate and infrastructure spending.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Fiona Ma (D), who is term-limited and running for Lieutenant Governor — an open seat.

• Eleni Kounalakis (D) — Lieutenant Governor, term-limited; a two-term lieutenant governor, former US Ambassador to Hungary & a UC Regent and CSU Trustee with relevant board experience. She dropped a bid for governor in late 2025 to run here. Emphasizes housing finance, opposing tuition hikes & fiscal management; carries high-profile Democratic endorsements and strong cash on hand.
• Anna Caballero (D) — State Senator; former Salinas mayor, assemblymember and senator, and a legislative leader on agriculture and housing. Emphasizes housing, the agricultural economy & fiscal policy.
• Tony Vazquez (D) — Former Board of Equalization member and ex-Santa Monica mayor; the first Latino mayor of Santa Monica, with eight years on the Board of Equalization.
• Others: Jennifer Hawks and David Serpa (R) and Glenn Turner (Green) are minor candidates.

Race dynamics: A six-way race that could produce a two-Democrat November runoff, with Kounalakis the frontrunner and Caballero the strongest challenger.

Insurance Commissioner

What the office does: Regulates California’s insurance industry — approves rates, licenses insurers & protects consumers. It is the only elected insurance-regulator post in the country.

Why it matters in 2026: California’s home-insurance crisis — wildfire-driven non-renewals and strain on the state FAIR Plan — makes this one of the most consequential open seats on the ballot.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Ricardo Lara (D), who is term-limited — an open seat with a crowded field.

• Ben Allen (D) — State Senator from the Westside of Los Angeles with an environmental and consumer record. Emphasizes transparency, a dedicated consumer advocate in the department, probing insurers’ fossil-fuel investments & banning the industry “revolving door.” Among the most policy-detailed candidates.
• Jane Kim (D) — Former San Francisco supervisor and Working Families Party leader; a progressive organizer. Emphasizes a larger public role, including a state-run wildfire and flood authority funded partly by premiums and public backstops for catastrophic risk. Carries the most expansive vision in the field and a strong progressive base.
• Steven Bradford (D) — Former state senator, termed out, with utility and energy committee experience. Emphasizes consumer protection, market stability & equity.
• Patrick Wolff (D) — Newcomer who obtained an insurance license to run. Emphasizes an insurer “report card” grading claims handling, public dashboards & usage-based auto pricing.
• Stacy Korsgaden (R) — Insurance agent who frames the crisis as regulatory overreach and favors market-based fixes to keep insurers in California; the best-positioned Republican.
• Also running: Merritt Farren and Robert Howell (R) and Eduardo Vargas (Peace & Freedom).

Race dynamics: This is among the most competitive open fields on the ballot, with several credible Democrats (Allen, Kim, Bradford, Wolff) splitting the vote, which could let Korsgaden take a November slot. The Democratic candidates differ on approach — Allen’s transparency and consumer-advocate model, Kim’s larger public-backstop model & Bradford’s experienced-legislator pitch.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

What the office does: The nonpartisan head of the California Department of Education and the state’s K-12 schools chief; sets and implements education policy alongside the State Board of Education.

Why it matters in 2026: An open seat amid fights over transgender-student rights, charter schools, testing & proposals to curtail the office’s authority, with a notably undecided electorate.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Tony Thurmond (nonpartisan), who is term-limited and running for governor — an open seat. This is a nonpartisan office: a candidate who wins a majority in June wins outright; otherwise the top two advance to November. Candidates have party leanings but no party label on the ballot.

• Richard Barrera (D-leaning) — San Diego Unified board trustee; a longtime SDUSD trustee and labor organizer, and the San Diego hometown candidate. Emphasizes public-school investment, labor-aligned education policy & equity. Endorsed by the California Teachers Association and by outgoing Superintendent Tony Thurmond; carries the strongest institutional backing in the field.
• Al Muratsuchi (D-leaning) — State Assemblymember from the South Bay of Los Angeles and chair of the Assembly education committee. Emphasizes school funding, teacher pay & public-education defense.
• Anthony Rendon (D-leaning) — Former Assembly Speaker with an early-childhood-education background; carries high name recognition.
• Josh Newman (D-leaning) — Former state senator and education committee chair with a moderate profile.
• Sonja Shaw (conservative) — Chino Valley school board president. Emphasizes parental rights, opposition to transgender-student protections & a “back to basics” approach; the clearest conservative standard-bearer.
• Also running: Frank Lara (progressive educator), Nichelle Henderson & Gus Mattammal.

Race dynamics: A crowded, ideologically split field with many undecided voters. Several CTA-aligned candidates (Barrera, Muratsuchi, Rendon, Newman) split the vote while Shaw could consolidate conservatives into a runoff slot.

Board of Equalization — District 4

What the office does: Since the 2017 reforms, the Board of Equalization’s role is narrow — it administers a handful of specific taxes (insurance tax, alcohol excise & certain property and utility assessments) and oversees how county assessors value property. It no longer administers sales or income tax, which moved to the CDTFA and the Franchise Tax Board. District 4 covers Southern California south of Los Angeles County, including all of San Diego County (and ZIP 92101).

Why it matters in 2026: A low-profile office, but the board still influences property-assessment fairness and a few targeted taxes, and it has historically been a launching pad to higher office.

Status: Four-year term. Held by Mike Schaefer (D), who is not running for re-election — an open seat with five candidates.

• Cody Petterson (D) — Chief deputy for the 4th District seat since 2019; also a San Diego County Board of Education member and an environmental and labor advocate. Emphasizes using the board’s authority for working families and fair assessments; carries a strong claim to subject-matter expertise and is San Diego based.
• Tom Umberg (D) — State Senator and longtime legislator (senator and ex-assemblymember) and former federal prosecutor. Emphasizes consumer protection, government-contracting oversight & active oversight of county assessors; the leading fundraiser with the highest name recognition.
• Martín Arias (D) — Career property-tax advocate who has worked inside a county assessor’s office. Emphasizes lowering property-tax burdens for families.
• Denis Bilodeau (R) — Former Orange County official; the leading Republican.
• Gardner Osborne (L) — Libertarian; a minor candidate.

Race dynamics: Three Democrats split the vote, which could let Bilodeau advance to November as the consolidated Republican.